Here is a recap of my matrilineal line.
my mother: Jane Logan Carroll (1942- still living!)
Jane's parents: Mary Virginia Bedichek (1911-1995) + Gay Vaughn Carroll (1907-1983)
my grandmother: Mary Virginia Bedichek (1911-1995) Mary's parents: Lillian Lee Greer (1885-1971) + Roy Bedichek (1878-1959)
my great-grandmother: Lillian Lee Greer (1885-1971)
Lillian's parents: Virginia LeStrappes Lee (1859-1955) + James Frances Greer (1858-1907)
my 2nd great-grandmother: Virginia LeStrappes Lee (1859-1955)
Virginia's parents: Sarah "Sallie" Elizabeth Rivers Harwell (1824-1915) + John Bachman Lee (1820-1885)
my 3rd great-grandmother: Sarah “Sallie” Elizabeth Rivers Harwell (1824-1915)
Sallie's parents: Sarah "Sally" Mason Alston (1788-1864) + Robert Rivers Harwell (1788-1833)
my 4th great-grandmother: Sarah “Sally” Mason Alston (1788-1864)
Sally's parents: Sarah Hill (1756-1799) + Henry "Harry" Alston (1753-1830)
my 5th great-grandmother: Sarah Hill (1756-1799)
Sarah's parents: Grace Bennett (1726-1772) + Green Hill (1714-1769)
my 6th great-grandmother: Grace Bennett (1726-1772)
Grace's parents: Grace [VanCourtland?] (1690-1725) + William Bennett (1690-1765)
my 7th great-grandmother: Grace [Van Courtland?] (1690-1725)
?Grace's parents: Ann Woerker (1668-?) + Stephanous Van Courtland (1670-1700)
All I know about Ann is that she was born in France. I have no info about her family.
I had seen photos of Sally Mason Alston’s gravestone uploaded by other researchers on Ancestry.com and I wanted to see it in person, so our last stop in Alabama was Demopolis. We stayed near the town at a campground and the next day, we headed to the historic downtown and to Demopolis Riverside Cemetery. The old town is well-preserved and the cemetery sits on a bluff over the Black Warrior River, very near the confluence with the Tombigbee River (upon which, further downriver, Sally and Robert had a plantation). The gravestone was not too difficult to find since I had a reference photo – the water in the background of the photo gave us a clue that it was near the side of the cemetery nearest the bluff. I was prepared with my gravestone rubbing supplies and got to work.
Sally is not buried with her husband, Robert Rivers Harwell. In fact, I have no idea where he is buried. She outlived him by thirty years, eventually living her last years in Demopolis. Sally did not live to see her youngest son, Ishmael Harwell, become mayor of Demopolis, but I imagine she moved there in her later years because he lived there.
Both Sally Mason Alston and Robert Rivers Harwell, were from Halifax County, North Carolina. The North Carolina Alstons descend from Captain John Alston (Sally’s great-grandfather and my 7th great-grandfather) who emigrated from England to North Carolina in 1693 at the age of 20 and became a large land-owner. Evidently, there were two cousins, both named John Alston. They had a falling out shortly after arriving to the colonies and the older of the two, headed south to Charleston and added an “l” to his name – John Allston.
John Alston bequeathed land to his son, Joseph John Alston I (Sally’s grand-father), who became one of the largest land-owners in North Carolina with an estimated 100,000 acres across several counties upon his death. Joseph John spent most of his life in Halifax County. Sally’s father, Henry Alston, was born and died there. However, Sally’s gravestone notes she was born in Shocco Springs (40 miles west) and her siblings were born in other North Carolina towns, so it seems the Henry Alston/Sarah Hill family moved around a bit.
Robert Rivers Harwell’s ancestral family, originally from England, was in Virginia for several generations before his parents moved their family to North Carolina sometime before his birth in 1788 and eventually landed in Halifax County, as well.
So, we headed to Halifax! Halifax, North Carolina is a small (pop. 162), no-stop-light town with a rich history – "the location of the first action of an entire colony to recommend independence from England in April 1776." So, they claim to be the location of the birth of the Revolution. It is the county seat and the beautiful massive courthouse seems a bit out of place in the tiny town.
There is a wonderful outdoor walking tour of historic buildings and areas with interpretive signs. Although no buildings from the 1700s remain, the tour shows where the bustling market square was once located and I am sure that over 200 hundred years ago, many Alstons and Harwells were walking where we were standing.
I made my way to the library – which I am finding to be a great stop in these towns. They usually have a great genealogy room. Clerk’s Offices are good for seeing original documents, but libraries have books of compiled information that are usually very helpful. The library manager, Brenda, was very welcoming and showed me to their extensive collection.
I found the History of Halifax County by W C Allen which listed all the senators and members of the house of commons since the beginning of statehood. There were my ancestors. Sterling Harwell, the father of Robert Rivers Harwell (Sally’s father-in-law), served in the North Carolina House of Commons from 1798 to 1803. And also in 1803, Joseph John Alston served as senator. Since Joseph John Alston I died in 1780, this must be his son, Joseph John Alston II, Sally's uncle.
Joseph John Alston II inherited land in Chatham County from his father and eventually became known as "Chatham Jack," likely because of his large landholdings in the county -- 40,000 acres. He was also described as a "colorful character" in another book in the library. He built two homes that are on the National Historic Registry. While navigating to the homes, I also found on Google Maps an “Alston Family Cemetery.” Had to go, so we headed to Pittsboro in Chatham County!
I was only able to find GPS coordinates for the two historic homes, which were not very accurate. Though with help from folks we stopped on the street, we were able to find both historic homes – both privately owned. Luckily, one is an operating organic farm! So we drove up the driveway and were greeted by a gentleman and some kids who were packing tomatoes in baskets. I asked if the owner was home and if she would be willing to say hello. He kindly escorted me to a small house next to the large main house.
Fortunately, Judy, the owner of Harland’s Creek Farm, was there and happy to meet me and answer my questions. She exclaimed, “You’re related to Chatham Jack?” It turns out she and her husband, both conservationists, bought the home and its 500 acres in the 1970s. At the time, no one was really interested in the house and the realtor remarked that there were a couple of old houses on the property that they could tear down. She and her husband had no intention of tearing them down and when they went into the attic of the smaller house, they found old records of plaster repairs that showed the house had been built in the early 1800s. They approached the historical society about donating the papers and getting the house designated as an historic landmark. The historical society helped them learn more about the property.
In the 1990s, they started the organic farm. Judy's husband passed away a few years ago. Now, her son and his family live in the main house and Judy lives in the small one. She gave me a tour of her little house, which used to be the kitchen for the big house with an upstairs living quarters for the enslaved women who worked in the big house. In the 1930s and 1950s, the house had expansions to bring it to its current size – where Judy lives alone. It has been lovingly cared for and homage to the enslaved cooks is on display in a stained glass panel on the front door.
About 100 yards from the big house, there are two stone chimneys – ruins of two homes where enslaved people lived. As I walked the path between the ruins and the big house, I imagined all the people who had walked the path before me – people owned by my ancestors.
People whose lives had been completely controlled by the family of Chatham Jack. Judy said she has had visits from black folks researching their ancestors – possible descendants of those enslaved by my ancestors.
I didn't find much else on the Harwells. I'll do more digging online once I get back home. Online research on the road while camping has been challenging.
We learned that North Carolina is in the “Peanut Belt.” The woods are very thick and the swamps and brown rivers are plentiful. For generations, peanuts have been and still are a common crop. As we drove through the countryside we saw acres and acres of the small bushes with pink flowers – a first for me. Tobacco and corn fields also lined the country roads. The tobacco was flowering with tall stems rising above the big leaves and sporting clusters of white blossoms. The cultivated fields are mostly bordered by dense dark piney woods, which makes for quite a contrast. It is hard to imagine the amount of enslaved human labor it took to originally clear the fields for planting.
